Art on the streets tells stories of life

NELSPRUIT – The city’s streets literally came to a standstill last week, which caused road rage for some, but a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.

This free annual public arts festival was described as extraordinary, vibrant and unexpected, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Nelspruit’s CBD became the backdrop to a unique fest Infecting The City on Thursday and Friday.

Audiences experienced 17 local and national artists integrating with public spaces in a new and unusual form including dance, song, poetry and theatre.

Sibusiso Xaba, director general of the department of arts and culture said, “As we count down to the celebration of 20 years of democracy and freedom, we view festivals such as Infecting the City as platforms that reflect our democracy and freedom. This ability to have self-expression is an important part of the way in which South Africans should celebrate from now until April. Public arts festivals such as these are vital in stimulating local economies, as they contribute to the Mzansi Golden Economy strategy, through the creative industries and in bringing cities such as Nelspruit to life.

“They provide more than the obvious benefit of allowing access to culture that might not otherwise be accessible. They give the general public a chance to interact with their city in new ways and to share that experience with others. In the same way, artists are challenged to create pieces to engage extremely diverse audiences. Let’s celebrate 20 years of democracy and freedom through the arts.”

Infecting the City had been designed so that audiences could follow the routes as planned and outlined in the programme or pop in and out during the course of the day.

On Thursday, giant puppets appeared along the various passages of the Promenade. A local poet and performer, Samkela Stamper, began the programme by reciting one of her own poems. The ancient sounds and voices of SK Manda’s traditional dance group pierced the air and gave way to vibrant song and dance followed by a choreographed routine to recorded music. This is an unusual dance company from Mpumalanga which combines traditional dance with acrobatic work and fire-eating. Shortly thereafter, a camouflaged local singer, Chocolate (Enock Eddy Mamba) performed his medley of ballads and love songs.

This was followed by Cape Town’s Mandisi Shindo who presented Sacrifice. Using creative imagery, two men engaged in a public battle of tradition, truth and reconciliation. The work, accompanied by traditional singing and classical opera, took its main metaphor, a captured bull, ready for slaughter, drawing on the vulnerability and tactics of the animal before the traditional Xhosa slaughtering ritual took place. The actual killing was not the end but the beginning of the real battle. Victory brought little relief or reward as the force of deeper feelings of guilt and regret overcame and threatened to annihilate one.

The mood was changed completely with another performance by the company led by Manda. This is a more modern piece called hip culture. Stamper recited another poem and introduced a full performance by all the characters of the giant puppets, with individual larger-than-life ones and rousing musicians.

Unfortunately Simon Max Bannister’s giant giraffe were absent. Bannister, who hails from Cape Town, created these five giraffe out of timber, to stand 4,5 metres tall and weigh 30 kilograms each.

At the taxi rank, the performance opened with the vigorous and vivid dance rhythms of Inkwazi Traditional Dance Group, a highly versatile company.

A combination of recorded music and live percussion accompaniment by the suited and painted gospel singer Sipho Langa and his group appeared to perform unique renditions of gospel songs.

The next stop was the bus terminal where Stamper kicked off with one of her poems that started a dance called Coming Home, which dealt with travelling. It was a moving emotional work about waiting for your loved ones to come home. It was choreographed by Ntombi Gasa and featured Siyabonga Mhlonga of the Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre in KwaZulu-Natal and members of Inkwazi.

This show then followed a solo, duet and trio dance featuring the award-winning Ikapa Dance Company of Cape Town. It creates its own choreography out of a combination of traditional African dance forms, classical ballet and contemporary dance. Its work tells stories that are moving and accessible. A rousing finale by Inkwazi then ended the day.

Friday began at the city’s main post office with Cape Town’s Mandisi Shindo. He had choreographed a dance to classical music and traditional singing called The Widow. A provocative contemporary dance-theatre work performed by five people then followed. It ultimately celebrated the beauty and strength of a woman. This characteristically deploys Shindo’s trademark combination of traditional and modern music, dance, sounds, poetry and architecture to communicate stirring stories.

A poem by local poet, Patience Ndhlovu was next. The giant puppets of the Giant Match Association, escorted the audience to the next venue.

Promenade Shopping Centre was the next stop where the puppets lead followers to Foschini. Rose Maliyane led a subtle and elegant traditional dance accompanied by singing. Also dressed to dazzle, singer Indlovukazi (Princess Nkuna) performed one of several songs that she sang on this route. An outstanding performer, her repertoire extended from traditional to gospel and jazz.

Complementing her voice was the haunting voices of the members of the popular isicathimiya group called Good News. They worked with the architecture of the building while going through their deft moves and singing their powerful a capella compositions. After this, the group led locals to the next venue, Absa Square, to meet the powerful traditional dance company, Inqaba Cultural Group, led by Adam Mthethwa.

The company used traditional Swazi dance to create an atmosphere of celebration and strength. It also presented a powerful marimba interlude. In contrast Ikapa Dance Company presented a contemporary dance work using the architectural background as a backdrop, while a powerful and entertaining pantsula dance work called Escalating Pantsulas, choreographed by KwaZulu-Natal’s Mxolisi Nkomonde, burst into being.

A group called Bayeza African Cultural Activities then followed, performing unique variations of traditional Zulu dance forms, the technically superior dances took place in a display of athletic virtuosity.

The programme ended spectacularly and unexpectedly, with all the dance companies and styles coming together, African and European, classical and contemporary in a composite work performed to the stirring composition,”Bolero” by Ravel.

Our country and continent are confronting various issues that are both real and imagined. These include access to employment, education, health care, housing, water, electricity and sanitation. The complexity of addressing these issues is not only about confronting the facts, but also the fiction. The Africa Centre’s purpose is to create a platform for exploring contemporary Pan-African artistic and cultural practise as a catalyst for social change.

View more photos on: https://lowvelder.co.za/44935/itc-take-nelspruit-storm/